Author Topic: Racing report, China Rush 2010, leg 8  (Read 3969 times)

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Offline maf

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Racing report, China Rush 2010, leg 8
« on: October 08, 2010, 01:02:31 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race China Rush
Season 1, Episode 8

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Google, is an approximation at best and the driving times assumes no traffic.

In the last leg the pitstop was on a yacht in the Qingdao harbor. Today they leave from the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in the following order:

  1. Rick & Josh           - 09:36
  2. Charlie & Rachel    - 10:21 (+0:45)
  3. Sarah & Molly        - 10:30 (+0:54)
  4. Deepak & Naresh  - 11:26 (+1:50)
  5. Lisa & Karen          - 12:01 (+2:25)

The clue reads: "Travel by foot to the sail boasts docked in the marina. Once there raise the sail and sail out to the boat waiting in the water to receive your next clue". Teams must rig the sail on a boat. A sailor will then sail them out to another boat where they will get their next clue. This sailboat task seems to take around 45 minutes for all teams.

The next clue directs teams to fly to Chengdu (1622km), the capital of Sichuan. Teams must book their tickets on-line at the major sponsor web site.

Choice quotes:
 "So what's there, Pandas and spicy food", Charlie finds out they are going to Chengdu
 "I can't eat spicy food", Rachel see doom approaching
 "It's hard", Lisa and Karen miss their kids
 "This race is killing me, I lost 4kg", Naresh

We also get another shot of Charlie and Rachel arguing in a cab. They say in their post-leg interview that they are not used to spending 24h a day together, and add the normal stress of the race and it is starting to show. Let us hope they can snap out of it, because they are much more fun to watch when not arguing all the time.

No teams hit any snags while performing the sailboat task so teams reach the airport in the same order they started. All teams end up on the same flight (even if it is a close thing for the momshells). Flight MU5447 departs at 14:30 and arrives at 16:55.

Once teams arrive in Chengdu they will head to People's park (19km
0:23) where they will find their next clue, as well as the speed bump for the momshells. Teams arrive at the clue box in the following order:
 1. Charlie & Rachel
 2. Lisa & Karen
 3. Rick & Josh
 4. Sarah & Molly
 5. Deepak & Naresh

Sara & Molly had problems with their taxi driver who pointed to the park as they were passing it. But for some reason he continued. Meanwhile the taxi driver of Charlie & Rachel took a private pit stop to answer a call from mother nature.

Detour: "Hot pot or Tea pot"

In hot pot teams travel to the Da Miao hotpot restaurant at Jinli Culture street (7km 0:16). Each team member must eat a family style serving of meat tofu and lettuce, all cooked in Sechuan's fiery hot pot soup. They also have to eat a side serving of diced red peppers. Once done they will get their next clue from the performing face changer.

In tea pot teams will travel to Kuan zai xiang zi (1.4km 0:05). Here, with the help of two tea masters, they must use traditional long neck tea pots and learn a special pouring technique. They must then fill 7 tea cups each without making a mess.

It is also here that Lisa & Karen encounter their speed bump. They must both have their ears cleaned by an ear cleaner using traditional tools. Karen felt very humiliated getting her ears cleaned in public. The word she used was "horrendous".

All teams choose hot pot. The food turns out to be really hot. I mean REALLY REALLY hot. All teams except Sarah & Molly seem a bit under the weather for the rest of the leg. There is so to say no spring in their step any more, there is rather a lot of moaning.

Teams arrive at the restaurant in the following order:
 1. Rick & Josh
 2. Sarah & Molly
 3. Charlie & Rachel
 4. Deepak & Naresh
 5. Lisa & Karen, significantly later, but still before anybody has left

Choice quotes:
 "Rachel doesn't like hot food... but you and I love it hot", Josh feels sure of himself going into the detour
 "You need to learn Chinese", Rachel to Charlie
 "I am looking at the signs but they are in *beep* Chinese", Charlie looking for the restaurant
 "We are in China", Rachel states the bloody obvious to her toddler
 "This was just ridiculous, it was just hot", Josh
 "That was a bit hard core", Charlie having drunk his chillies.
 "I am just worried mu stomach is going to explode now", Sarah
 "If we run into the Aussies or Ray & Charlie we are usually pretty pleased because that means we are doing something right, it does not last for very long though", Karen thinks she knows which teams are strong
 "The water thing, bad idea", Charlie realizes hindsight is always 20/20
 "If you want to kill someone, you ask him to eat these chillies", Naresh

Sarah bought some yoghurt and on the suggestion from Rachel she put all the peppers in there are drank it whole. I think that was a rather good idea. But then Charlie wanted to do it one better so instead of buying a yoghurt he tossed the peppers in his water, let them soak for 20 minutes and then drank it. The theory that this was going to make them milder turned out to be wrong. Instead the opposite happened:-)

Team finish the detour in the following order:
 1. Sarah & Molly, and I am impressed
 2. Charlie & Rachel
 3. Rick & Josh
 4. Lisa & Karen
 5. Deepak & Naresh

The next clue reads "Travel by taxi to Tianfu square to find your next clue. Warning U-turn ahead". Teams reach the U-turn marker (6km 0:15) in the following order:
 1. Charlie & Rachel
 2. Sarah & Molly
 3. Lisa & Karen, U-turns Deepak & Naresh
 4. Deepak & Naresh
 5. Rick & Josh, Josh had to stop and try to regain his composure for 10-15 minutes

Lisa & Karen thought they were next to last and U-turned the Indians to get some more time. They did write "Sorry" on the photo, but I am not sure that was any big consolation to the Indians. In the post-race interview Lisa said that they U-turned them to help themselves, not to hurt the Indians. The Indians also took it in stride and just started for the teapot detour (1.6km 0:03). Overall I would say this U-turn was handled in a mature way from both sides, which is not always the case on TAR (Brent & Caite and Carol & Brandy, I am looking at you).

Choice quotes:
 "I hate that we did that to them", Karen is having second thoughts
 "How are we going to face them", Karen does not look forward to meeting them
 "If you do not want to do it, why you did that", Naresh doubts the momshells sincerity
 "We are not professionals", Naresh on seeing the teapot demonstration
 "He's joking", Deepak has grave doubts about their ability to complete the detour

The Indians struggle a bit but eventually finishes the teapot detour pretty quickly and seem to have lost no more than 20 minutes.

The clue reads "Travel by taxi to Du Fu Cottage" (5km 0:11). The next clue can be found outside the south gate". Teams reach the next clue box in the
following order:
 1. Sarah & Molly
 2. Charlie & Rachel
The first two teams also leave the roadblock before team #4 arrives.
 3. Lisa & Karen
 4. Rick & Josh
 5. Deepak & Naresh

Roadblock: "Who is not afraid of the dark". In this roadblock one team member must use a flashlight and search for a traditional bamboo scroll in the 24 acres garden. It might be useful to know that by this time it is getting late and it is pitch black outside. The scrolls are placed so that they are visible on or next to the paths.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes who performed the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks they have done in total):
 1. Charlie & Rachel*    (4 - 4)
 2. Sarah* & Molly        (4 - 4)
 3. Rick & Josh*           (4 - 4)
 4. Lisa & Karen*         (4 - 4)
 5. Deepak* & Naresh  (4 - 4)

Choice quotes:
 "*beep*, Oh my god", Rachel encounters a cat in the dark
 "The toad led me to it", Rachel had help finding the scroll
 "I already did this area... or did I", Sarah is confused
 "Don't search the trees, just search the path", Sarah helps Karen
 "We did run into the Aussie boys, they were a bit lost", Molly
 "I would go north if I were you", Lisa gives Josh a tip
 "Which way is north?", but it is wasted on Josh
 "We're so lame", Karen feels ashamed for having used the roadblock

Deepak & Naresh arrive at the roadblock while Lisa & Karen are still there. Lisa is quite embarrassed by meeting them here after the U-turn.

The next stop is a pitstop. Teams must Travel by taxis to Chunxi road and find the pedestrian bridge" (7km 0:13) teams reach the pitstop in the following order:
 1. Charlie & Rachel, win a trip to Lhasa
 2. Sarah & Molly
 3. Rick & Josh
 4. Lisa & Karen
 5. Deepak & Naresh, are saved by a non-elimination

Next week there will be feeding pandas and rafting

Edited to correct roadblock statistics
« Last Edit: October 15, 2010, 09:47:25 AM by maf »